Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her Department’s policy to remove religious exemptions from section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

The Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to have an article with a blade or point in a public place. The law allows for a person found in possession of a bladed article to claim a defence of having a good reason for having the article in public. One of the examples of a good reason listed in the legislation is for religious reasons. A court will then reach a judgement on whether that defence is valid, based on the evidence.

The defence for the carrying of knives for religious use has been a long-standing arrangement, as a way of balancing public safety and religious freedom.

We keep all legislation under review, but we are clear that should any bladed article be used to threaten or harm others, it will be met with the full force of the law.

We will discuss current legislation with the police, the Sikh community and knife crime campaigners.